Tornados unable to bridge Eagles, 14-1

Brevard, N.C. - Derek Ham went 2-for-3 at the plate and drove in an RBI, but the Eagles soared past the Tornados on Friday afternoon as Troy Zawadzki and Jonathan Dalton both went deep as Carson-Newman took the series opener over Brevard on Gil Coan Field, 14-1.

Casey Smith (1-5) took the loss for Brevard (9-11, 2-7 SAC), pitching seven innings and striking out three, while allowing six earned runs. Austin Bridgewater (1-4) recorded his first victory of the season, going the distance in the win for Carson-Newman (8-16, 4-6 SAC).

The Eagles plated two in the first and one in the second in jumping out to an early lead over the Tornados, but Brevard threatened in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with one out as Randy O’Dell and Ethan Pressley hit back-to-back singles and Ham was plunked by a Bridgewater pitch, however the Tornados were unable to score as Bridgewater escaped the inning without allowing a run.

Carson-Newman added to their lead in the fourth as Zawadzki hit a fly ball down the left field line. The BC left fielder dove after the ball and missed and in the scramble to get the ball back into the infield, Zawadzki circled the bases, scoring Cody Nix for the inside-the-park home run.

The Eagles would add runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings with Dalton bringing in five with a pair of home runs during the stretch.

The Tornados would break the shutout in the ninth as Aaron Reese led off the inning with a single. Reese would steal second base before coming around to score on Ham’s two-out bouncer through the left side, but Bridgewater retired the next BC hitter to end the game.

The Tornados and Eagles close out the weekend series played at Gil Coan Field tomorrow afternoon with a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m.